[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by jathinrao

I leave in dubai ,her hyundais are compared to chinese products. if u own a hyundai here,its like owning a second hand contessa in india. i think hyundai will go the daewoo way . good products but corrupt managers.

just imagine mr.daewoo & mr.hyundai sitting inside the prison & talking about future cars . just kidding!!!

I'd lived in Dubai for 2 years. It's a hell of a place. Only thing which looks good there is the Money. People have money there especially the locals but no brains. It will be foolish to consider the opinions of people in Dubai about hyundai. It is not at all going the Daewoo way.

In fact Hyundai has become the sixth largest carmaker and in global sales in the world beating Nissan, Honda, Peugeot etc. Also it has ranked third behind Porsche and Lexus in a quality study conducted by world renowned JD Power. I'll post those links soon.

[adarsh76]

Hyundai-Kia group is now the sixth largest car maker of the world ahead of Nissan, Honda etc.

Link: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...08/010402.html

Hyundai is third in JD Power Initial Quality study behind Porsche and Lexus and ahead surprisingly of Toyota. Although Lexus is from Toyota, Toyota cars are rated lower than Lexus ones.

Link: http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...asp?ID=2006082

Is Hyundai doing something extraordinary?

if (!parent.banner) { window.location.replace("/index2.asp?pagename="+window.document.location.hre f); }

NOTE FROM MODERATOR: Thread merged. Please continue your discussion here

[guha_2001]

we used to have a 2000 model Santro, then my father replaced it with a 2005 model one. the difference between the two is amazing! the xing one has better torque, more powerful, and yet gives a lot more mileage!! the car is so much smoother and refined than the older one. if hyundai is able to make this kind of improvements in model updates, it is no wonder that their new models are so good. maybe not today, but 10 yrs from now hyundai cars will be on par with a toyota or honda. frankly i wont be surprised if they launch a lexus type brand in the near future

[Slider]

That was a very interesting discussion, and we discovered the turnaround story of the Hyundai. I am sure every individual will appreciate the potential and grit that a Hyundai carries with itself,
The fact that The Accent is part of the WRC scene is an acheivement in itself.
My Personal experience with the CRDi Accent.
DRAG: Accent CRDI (Stock) took a 1 car lead with Esteem 2000 - With Pro K&N , Auto mech Exhaust system,
DRAG: Accent CRDi (Stock) took on a neck to neck lead with a 2001 1.5 city Exi. it was close .
But every racer knows 1 Mile or 1 Inch. a win is a win.

Thanks Cheers to the CRDI accent

[condor]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

... It will be foolish to consider the opinions of people in Dubai about hyundai.

The Koreans still have a long way to go. They are considered commuter cars in the US, and are also amongst the most towed cars.

OT:

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Toyota cars are rated lower than Lexus ones.

Lexus is in the premium segment. Between a Lexus and a Toyota, try both, and you'll see the difference immediately.

[amit]

They are considered commuter cars in the US,

So are Honda and Toyota.

[condor]

No Amit, while they arent premium's, but they arent commuter cars. You do know that these hold value much better than the Korean cars.

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by condor

No Amit, while they arent premium's, but they arent commuter cars. You do know that these hold value much better than the Korean cars.

In Dubai, Camry and Mondeo are taxi cabs. Does that mean they're lesser valued cars? You should keep in mind one thing. Hyundai started its operations much late compared to other manufacturers. They're relatively new entrants in the automobile Industry. But within such short time they've managed to make a good impact eveywhere. In USA, the Azera is the latest example. As you know Sonata is too popular there.

Will you agree that Hyundai will be a major player in the next 2 - 5 years time?

[esteem_lover]

My Personal experience with the CRDi Accent.
DRAG: Accent CRDI (Stock) took a 1 car lead with Esteem 2000 - With Pro K&N , Auto mech Exhaust system,
DRAG: Accent CRDi (Stock) took on a neck to neck lead with a 2001 1.5 city Exi. it was close .
But every racer knows 1 Mile or 1 Inch. a win is a win.

Thanks Cheers to the CRDI accent[/quote]

huh...
i am a bit surprised here...let me recount my experience with the Accent CRDI...no doubt a great car.

on the highway, in drag style, i experienced the opposite effect..
i was driving a 2000 Esteem (Carb Model) & left the CRDI gasping

[pravin_sn]

Recently one of my colleagues was weighing wether to buy a Wagon R vs Santro. And she went in for the Santro. When I asked her why, the reason she gave me is what is reflected in the posts here too - that impressions about huundai are changing.

Here I quote what she said:
"The Hyndai showroom guys (Bangalore) took the vehicle to her house for a test drive where the entire family could feel the drive and test out their preferences. The guy accompanying the car was courteous and knowledgeable about different technologies and even about competitor's products. When my colleague visited the showroom to discuss details about the deal and final price, they were driven back home in an accent. All this would impress anybody.

Compare this with Bimal Auto's response for their query on Wagon R. They sales guys just didnt seem interested. Their attitude was like 'if you want to buy it, buy it, else you can go somewhere else'. No test drive, no drop back home, no explanation to technical queries, no followup...nothing."

I personally had a better impression of the Wagon R as I found its drive more comforatable. And my point to my colleague was that rather than courteous sales guys (which is a one-time thing when you go to buy the car), its the drive that will matter to her once she owns a car as she will have to deal with it on an every-day basis. Of course, she chose to put her money in the Santro.

The one thing I realised then was how Santro is learning and upgrading proactively - its service, its vehicles, its technology, etc. And when faced with a sluggish govt-like attitude from Maruti, I have no doubt that Santro and other Hyundai cars will emerge a winner in the coming years to come.

[200mph]

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...0373_1,00.html this is something i found on the net. i am not laying down any opinon because i know then there would start a argument . anyways reading this i feel that some places of the world the manufacturer has a little more to do. you can read the full article but here is a small part of it

"" Because having driven all the family hatchbacks you might be considering, I can tell you with absolute certainty that You Should Not Buy A Hyundai Accent.

First of all there’s the obvious stuff. The Accent takes 14 seconds to get from rest to 60mph, and I know people who can accelerate faster than that. If you buy this car you will not be able to overtake anything, not even a tractor, or a horse, and that means you’ll have to spend your entire motoring life only going as fast as the slowest person in the world.
The only good thing about the sedentary progress is that you’ll never know what a rotten handler your Accent is. But you will notice the ride, especially when you get the bill from your osteopath for a new spine. Dynamically, the Accent is possibly the worst new car on the market today. In every single respect every other car on the road goes, stops, steers and rides with more aplomb. ""

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by 200mph

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...0373_1,00.html this is something i found on the net. i am not laying down any opinon because i know then there would start a argument .

Well, why would you even need to put down your opinion to start an argument ? The link you posted will IMO do the job.

[GTO]

200mph

You cant simply take a British review that rubbishes an Accent, and expect to make a point. Most apparent would be the fact that this review would be in the British context and totally irrelevant to ours. Consider the quantity and quality of other cars available to them in the same price range. 14 seconds to a 100 may be slow to them, but not to us.

GTO

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by 200mph

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...0373_1,00.html this is something i found on the net. i am not laying down any opinon because i know then there would start a argument . anyways reading this i feel that some places of the world the manufacturer has a little more to do. you can read the full article but here is a small part of it

"" Because having driven all the family hatchbacks you might be considering, I can tell you with absolute certainty that You Should Not Buy A Hyundai Accent.

First of all there’s the obvious stuff. The Accent takes 14 seconds to get from rest to 60mph, and I know people who can accelerate faster than that. If you buy this car you will not be able to overtake anything, not even a tractor, or a horse, and that means you’ll have to spend your entire motoring life only going as fast as the slowest person in the world.
The only good thing about the sedentary progress is that you’ll never know what a rotten handler your Accent is. But you will notice the ride, especially when you get the bill from your osteopath for a new spine. Dynamically, the Accent is possibly the worst new car on the market today. In every single respect every other car on the road goes, stops, steers and rides with more aplomb. ""

Jeremy Clarkson is a performance car freak. I read this article long back. He should have said the same or worst if he'd driven an Esteem or an Ikon Flair or even a Baleno. Even he wouldn't have liked the Fiesta 1.4 and Aveo 1.4 if he'd driven those. The drive by him was done long back. Accent has definitely improved from that stage. Plus he has not test driven the new Accent. What would he've said if he has test driven the "Honda City" here? And if you notice one more thing he has only test driven the "Accent" from hyundai. Why didnt he test cars like Elantra and Sonata at that time? The language he has written the article definitely seem it has something to do with racism. 200 mph do u support racism? He doesnt want any asian companies not only hyundai to become world beaters. That he hinted indirectly in a recent interview in BBC. Perhaps you should see that.

See this line from the article:
"There’s something I’ve found out as well. If you buy a Hyundai, or any car from that part of the world, you will be seen as a bore".
Does the words "that part of the world" indicate only Korea. No it indicates the whole of Asia. Also he did not specify "Hyundai" alone. He said "hyundai or any car".

I think he is one of the most stupid person in this world to write a car review. Guess all educated people will condemn this in their strongest words.

So this article posted by you is an irrelevant and invalid one. How can he get a high performing car at such a low price? Yes, ofcourse hyundai cars were all termed as a "butt of jokes" in the yester years. But that's gone and is history. It's a fact no one can deny that they are making very good cars recently and giving sleepless nights to some giants in the industry.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by rks

I am really tired of seeing so many inaccurate adverse remarks about the Santro's stability and handling at high speeds. I own the ZipDrive (1 lit, April 2000) and drive it on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway every week at top speeds generally in the range of 140-155 kph (Speedo). My time through the 94 km Expresssway is consistently at 50-53 mins, i.e., an average speed of something like 110-115 kph. In fact the entire trip of 174 kms was covered in 2 hrs flat in the morning (7-45 AM to 9-45 AM, Sion Circle to Hadapsar via Katraj) and generally in 2.5 hours in fairly dense traffic in the evenings (Hadapsar to Sion Circle, 6 PM to 8-30 PM). Much as I tried to change my style of driving and reduce my speed after being warned by people in this forum, I couldn't succeed so far because I just haven't felt *any* issues regarding stability and handling. But some people here make wild remarks to the effect that they feel that the car is "about to take off" or "go off the road" if driven at speeds above 90 kph or cornered at speeds exceeding 60 kph! The only issue with the Santro on the highway is that it lacks punch at higher speeds. Even on a slight climb uphill, its top speed steadily comes down, but this may be less of an issue with the more peppy xing. But I will admit that I haven't tried braking the car at top speed (and I don't want to either).

On my most recent trip to Mumbai this Friday, I decided to test the Santro while cornering at high speeds while going downhill at the Lonawala ghat section. Prior to reaching the ghat section, I was overtaken first by an Ikon and then by an Octavia and I couldn't keep up with them even at 140 kph. But I caught up with them in the ghat section. The agile Santro made short work of the Ikon first (which by this time was overtaken by the Octavia), zipping past with a sharp left-side overtake. Then on a long, winding, sharp left turn, the Octavia was despatched in a scorching overtake at full clip -- at the start of the turn, I aimed straight for the Octavia's rear in the middle lane and then floored the pedal. By the time the turn was completed, the anticipated understeer took the Santro, tyres screeching, into the right lane, past the Octavia. In the short straight stretch that followed, the stunned Octavia driver steadily gained on me. But in the next sharp right hand corner, another scorching turn, with the understeer taking me to the left lane and simultaneously overtaking a couple of other heavy vehicles, made the Octavia guy finally give up. I have similarly depatched a Honda Accord in the same downhill ghat stretch. He could catch up with me only after the exit toll gate, some 20 kms later. The corners were generally taken at high speeds, 80-90 kph; even on a sharp S-turn, the speeds exceeded 60 kph. The car gripped the road and I just couldn't detect any sliding of the wheels (there was a lot of noise from the tyres though).

Of course I realize that the Ikon and Octavia guys probably did not push their vehicles to the limit. But the foregoing goes to show that I would completely disagree with those who would bad-mouth the Santro. I don't know much about the Wagon R -- it is supposed to be faster than the ZipDrive, being a 1.1 lit. engine. But I doubt it can be more stable than the Santro, for the simple reason that it is taller and has smaller tyres. And as for the Santro's handling, it is just superb for Indian conditions. The Sion-Panvel highway and Pune bypass roads are what I would call Santro country -- the agility of this car, ability to switch lanes at speed and make very tight overtakes have to be seen to be believed. The bigger, faster and more powerful sedans are simply no match for my Santro in these traffic-filled roads. I have let the Santro rip at speed of upto 120 kph on the Pune bypass road and upto 110 or so on the Sion-Panvel highway, all the time making sharp overtakes. No issues that I am aware of, even at 120 kph, leave alone the 90 kph that you complained of.
Regards, rks

wow ow ow ow maaaan,
dont go overboard here man....trust ur instincts pal, but also drive sensibly. dont push the santro into doing what its not supposed to, it is actually not made for such driving..